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Twitter account FlightUpdates said: “Inbound aircraft to London Gatwick currently holding and no departures “Reports of a drone around the runway. Some aircraft in the hold opting to divert. “Police Helicopter is searching the area around London Gatwick Airport.

A British Airways flight to Gatwick was reportedly diverted to Stansted and then to Heathrow, and one woman on the flight said all passengers were still not allowed to get off the plane, according to the Daily Express.

Writing on Twitter, she said: Dear @British_Airways thanks for diverting our plan to stansted and now Heathrow (even though we were meant to land at Gatwick) and now you’re not even letting us off the plane."

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In response, British Airways said: "Sorry about that, Elly. Gatwick have stopped all arrivals and departures due to a drone, we've been told. Something that's not within our control. We hope the crew keeps you updated."

Also on Twitter, UK Aviation Expert tweeted saying: "Gatwick Airport has been closed for 90 minutes due to drone activity. Over 50 aircrafts have been diverted away from the airport."

British Airways uses Gatwick as a hub, it is the second-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the United Kingdom, after London Heathrow.

But passengers with other airlines, including easyJet, TUI Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have also been affected.

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Flights are diverting to Southend, Luton, Bristol, Birmingham and Paris among other airports

People on Twitter have been expressing their outrage at the situation, with some asking about possible refunds and expressing sarcastic relief that they were not the unlucky few to be diverted to airports across the country such as Manchester.

It has been reported by Gatwick that not one but two drones were spotted, and they believe flights are likely to be affected tonight and tomorrow, December 20.